Referees ● Jul 02, 2015
Barclays Asia Trophy tournament referees to pass on Premier League knowledge to Singaporean match officials
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- FA Cup Final referee team of Jon Moss and Craig Pawson to take charge of matches with FAS officials
- Premier League referees will run two training programmes that will leave a legacy for match officials in Singapore
The Premier League has announced details of the match officials who will take charge of next month’s big tournament in Singapore which features some of the top players and clubs from the world’s most watched and supported football league.
Jon Moss and Craig Pawson, who between them have refereed 121 matches in the English top flight, will officiate matches at the Barclays Asia Trophy. They will be supported by two Premier League Select Group assistant referees in John Brooks and Michael Salisbury.
A team of Singaporean officials will also be involved in the four-team tournament featuring Arsenal, Everton, Stoke City and a Singapore Select XI.
Muhd Taqi will referee one of the four matches that take place on Wednesday 15 and Saturday 18 July at the National Stadium. There are four local officials as assistant referees in Lim Kok Heng, Ronnie Koh, Edwin Lee and Jeffrey Goh. Farhad Mohd, Jansen Foo, Ahmad A’Qashah and Sukhbir Singh will each have a match as fourth official.
The Barclays Asia Trophy brings together again the officiating team who took charge of the 2015 FA Cup Final. Jon Moss was the referee and Craig Pawson the fourth official when Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 4-0. But the referees will being doing more than taking charge of the matches, as the English officials will also be passing on their knowledge to their Singaporean refereeing colleagues in two ways.
On Friday 10 July the Premier League officials will host a two-hour referee workshop. The Football Association of Singapore has invited all registered referees and referee assessors to the evening. Among topics to be covered in the interactive workshop will be handball and holding offences, recognising challenges, and how to gain respect from players. Each topic will have a question-and-answer session for the Singaporean officials. The evening is a great opportunity to come and learn from the most watched referees in world football.
The next day, Saturday 11 July, will see the start of a Premier Skills Referee Development course. This will take place over three days at the Jalan Besar Stadium and will involve 30 officials – 15 nominated each from FAS and Sport SG. They will complete a mixture of workshop and practical sessions on the pitch and in the classroom.
The Premier League works with the British Council to deliver Premier Skills and it is an established programme that helps youth leaders enhance their skills in football, coaching and English language. Premier Skills operates in 25 countries around the world and has helped train 6,300 new coaches and referees.
The programme offers an introduction to refereeing at grassroots level and the aim is encourage people to develop a career as a referee. The course guides participants through the FIFA Laws of the Game, the role and responsibilities of the referee and the basic principles of decision making. Additionally there is also training on good nutrition to support fitness, hydration and the signals used by assistant referees with their flags.
Jon Moss, who is an award-winning former headteacher of two primary schools in England is looking forward to a different kind of education in Singapore. He said: “Neither Craig or myself have officiated in Asia before so it is an honour to be part of the Barclays Asia Trophy. The matches that take place will be keenly contested by the Premier League sides so it is great preparation for the new Barclays Premier League season.”
“What is going to make the Tournament extra special is the opportunity to work with the refereeing community in Singapore. Referees the world over have a close bond and we are happy to pass on any knowledge we can to our colleagues. And we also hope that we can help develop some referees of the future through Premier Skills. We can’t wait for the Barclays Asia Trophy week to start.”
Visva Nathan, Head of Referees FAS, is pleased with the initiatives. He said: “We are looking forward to the referee workshop with the Premier League officials. We all know that football in the Premier League is played at a different tempo and intensity compared to the Asian game, and it will be very interesting and beneficial for our referees and assessors to learn from the experiences of these officials. Knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing is key to the personal development and growth of our referees, and I am sure our officials will benefit much from this session.
“Likewise, the Premier Skills Referee Development course will be a good introduction to the world of refereeing, and will open our participants’ eyes to the important role that referees play in football. We hope our participants will be inspired to reach greater heights.”
Tickets for the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 will be available to purchase in Singapore through Sports Hub Tix, the official ticketing agency of the Barclays Asia Trophy, through the following sources:
- Online at www.sportshubtix.sg
- Sports Hub Tix telephone booking hotline – (+65) 3158 7888 (10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily)
- Box Office at the Singapore Indoor Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub
- All Singpost Outlets island wide
Wednesday 15 July 2015
Everton v Stoke City Kick-off 6.00pm
Arsenal v Singapore Select XI Kick-off 8.30pm
Saturday 18 July 2015
3rd v 4th play-off Kick-off 6.00pm (11am BST)
Final Kick-off 8.30pm (1.30pm BST)
Ticket prices
|
Wednesday 15 July – 2 matches |
Saturday 18 July – 2 matches |
Category 1 |
$145 |
$155 |
Category 2 |
$105 |
$115 |
Category 3 |
$60 |
$70 |
Category 4 |
$40 |
$45 |
Category 4 (Child) |
$25 |
$28 |